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Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

Vladimir Ashkenazy has a secure place in the pantheon of Russian pianists, made even more memorable by his defection from the Soviet Union to the West in 1963 and his subsequent transition to conducting, for which he is most visible today.

This is a major anniversary year for pianist-conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy, the 75-year-old maestro who conducts the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra tomorrow and on Saturday.

First of all, it marks the 50th anniversary of his debut recording with Decca. In March 1963, he recorded Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra under conductor Anatole Fistoulari.

Ahead of the launch of its 2013/14 season this Friday, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra has announced its new concertmaster, Jing Wang, a 28-year old Canadian-Chinese, to succeed incumbent concertmaster Igor Yuzefovich, whose 18-month contract will come to an end this summer.

The Mahler work alluded to in this concert's title was his Symphony No 1, Titan. There's some logic to being non-specific. Many posit that when you've heard one Mahler symphony you've heard them all. To wit: a recurrent interchange of artlessness, Austrian folk-song, chorales, wonderment in nature and a morbid obsession with death.

The principal cellist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra for the past 20 years has said the sex-abuse scandal at Chetham's School of Music in Britain has "tarnished for life" his time there as a student. At the age of nine, Richard Bamping was accepted by Chetham's, and he remained a student at the Manchester school until he was 18. It is one of only five specialist music schools in the UK with academic studies and rigorous musical development under one roof.

In terms of the overall quality of instrumental sound, this concert got the thumbs up. The HK Phil players were impressive throughout the ranks, particularly concertmaster Igor Yuzefovich who stepped up as soloist in Chausson's Poème and Ravel's gypsy-rooted Tzigane.

The four-in-one function at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre last Friday was a busy event: it launched the city's flagship orchestra with a new brand identity and introduced its new music director, along with celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day.

When his appointment as the new music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra was formally announced this year, Jaap van Zweden addressed reporters via a televised link from Amsterdam with a warm smile - an attribute largely absent from his publicity shots - and a twinkle in the eye, on suggesting that the city's flagship ensemble might one day become "the Berlin Philharmonic of Asia".

It's been five years since Andrea Fessler listened to her instincts and took a leap in the dark. Then a corporate lawyer with no formal musical training but with a love of music, she noted the dearth of top-flight, international chamber music recitals in this city and resolved to fill the void.